The present invention relates in general to industrial vehicles, and more particularly to industrial vehicles having a battery that is shaped to expand or otherwise modify the space available within an operator's compartment of such vehicles. The present invention further relates to industrial vehicles having an adjustable feature, such as a repositionable operator's seat and/or repositionable control element, and a battery that is shaped to enable or otherwise correspond with the repositioning capability of the adjustable feature.
Industrial vehicles such as fork lift trucks may include a rechargeable battery for powering the vehicle, e.g., as an alternative to operating under fuel-based engine power. The battery is typically configured as a relatively large, rectangular structure consisting of a plurality of individual battery cells that are electrically connected together to achieve a desired nominal voltage. In such vehicles, the battery and its associated battery container are known to consume a substantial amount of space. Thus, battery powered industrial vehicles may be larger than their engine powered counterparts, or have significantly reduced space available to accommodate an operator in an operator's compartment of the vehicle. For example, in some fork lift trucks, the battery is positioned underneath the operator's compartment, and is arranged so as to extend out towards the back of the vehicle over the rear wheel(s). Under such an arrangement, a hood or other battery access door may be provided under the operator's seat. Alternatively, the battery may be contained entirely between the front and rear wheels, e.g., in a compartment underneath the operator's seat that extends down to the vehicle frame.
However, locating the battery underneath the operator's compartment consumes a significant amount of space, thus reducing vehicle operator comfort and work ability. For example, the size of the battery may result in added operator effort in getting into and out of the vehicle due to a high entrance step. For vehicles such as fork lift trucks that perform functions requiring the operator to frequently climb into and out of the vehicle, this feature may lead to early operator fatigue and reduced operator efficiency.
Alternatively, the battery may be moved to a position within, or adjacent to, the operator's compartment, e.g., located along one side of an operator's compartment. However, relocating the battery to an area that is within or adjacent to the operator's compartment eliminates a significant amount of area that would otherwise be available for the operator. Thus, such arrangements may cramp the operator or limit the accommodations available to the user.